SEATTLE — With a rotation of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and David Phelps and depth in Ivan Nova, Vidal Nuno at Triple-A and Michael Pineda starting a minor league rehab assignment Saturday, the Yankees were honest with themselves and Chien-Ming Wang.

The Yankees did not stand in the way of Wang, a two-time 19-game winner for the club, opting out of a minor league deal. Wang will sign with the Blue Jays and start Tuesday against the White Sox.

“He didn’t see an opportunity in the next couple of weeks,’’ said Alan Nero, Wang’s longtime agent, of general manager Brian Cashman. “He did what you hoped somebody would do. … He’s a class act. He was great.”

Wang’s minor league contract contained an out clause at the end of each month, so the Yankees could have prevented Wang from opting out when he did.

“His numbers were good, the velocity was down a little bit — we saw a lot of 87s and 88s,’’ manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Mariners Friday night at Safeco Field. “At this time we didn’t have space for him. I understand that. Our rotation is pretty good and we have depth.’’

Wang was 55-26 in five seasons as a Yankee, including an injury-filled 2009 in which he went 1-6. He won 19 games in 2006 and 2007 and was on the way to another good year in 2008 when he suffered a foot fracture running the bases in June and finished 8-2.Wang, who spent the past two seasons with the Nationals, is 61-32 in the big leagues. The 33-year-old was 4-4 with a 2.33 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but was behind Nuno and Nova to rejoin the Yankees as a starter.

* The numbers don’t provide hard evidence Mark Teixeira’s return from the disabled list on May 31 has helped Robinson Cano, but Cano believes having the switch-hitting first baseman batting behind him in seven of the eight games since Teixeira’s return had led to Cano getting better pitches to hit.

“I see the difference,” said Cano, who swatted a three-run homer in the third inning Thursday night batting in front of Teixeira, who followed with a homer. “It’s good to see him back.’’

Only once has Girardi not batted Teixeira behind Cano. That day, June 4, he hit Teixeira third and Cano fourth.

Hitting in front of Teixeira had produced only three hits in 22 at-bats (.136) for Cano. But as long as Teixeira, who had three homers and eight RBIs in 26 at-bats in those seven games, remains a power threat, Cano should get better pitches to hit.

“You hope that is the case,’’ Girardi said. “Mark is an RBI machine.’’ Teixeira said the right wrist tendon injury that cost him all but one day of the first two months of the season is OK, but his swing needs work.

“It feels good, but still not close to where I want to be,’’ Teixeira said. “That will take a while. When I get a pitch to hit and get results, it’s good. I would be worried if I got good pitches to hit and the ball didn’t go anywhere.’’

Cano was batting .301 (34-for-113) with eight homers on the road. He had 11 homers away from Yankee Stadium all of last year.

“We want to see 90 to 100 pitches more than once, more than twice,’’ Girardi said of the right-handed starter, who hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2011 following last year’s shoulder surgery. “It’s been a long time since he has pitched. How long the rehab goes will be something based on need and the people who watch him.’’

Pitchers get 30-day rehab assignments. The clock can be stopped if there is an injury setback.

If there is no room in the Yankees’ big league rotation and Pineda is healthy, he can be optioned to the minors.

* As he does in every city, Mariano Rivera met with baseball fans at Safeco Field. His message to the group was simple and an example of the way he reacts on the mound.

“We all fail, it’s what we do when we fail,’’ Rivera said. “When I don’t save games, I want to find out why it didn’t happen. The best tool we have is being humble. You have no idea where that tool puts you.’’